New man in charge of DRI services

The health trust that runs Doncaster Royal Infirmary has appointed its new Chief Operating Officer following a competitive open recruitment process.

David Purdue is a qualified nurse who has worked at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for five years.

He has previously worked at hospitals in Nottingham, where he set up a number of cardiac nurse-led services – an innovation that saw him winning a top award from the National Modernisation Agency for improving access to care for people with angina.

Mr Purdue joined Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in October 2008, initially as Divisional Nurse Manager for Medicine, and since 2010 has been Associate Director of Performance, leading the Trust’s transformation programme and then taking on responsibility for performance and contracting with local health commissioners as well.

His new role will see him take overall charge of the delivery of the majority of clinical services and care, ensuring that services run smoothly and efficiently and patients are seen within appropriate timeframes.

He said: “I’m very much looking forward to working with the Trust’s clinical directors to continue improving services for patients. One of my top priorities is to improve patient pathways so that we can make sure patients are seen in the right place first time.”

Chief executive Mike Pinkerton said: “David has the skills, experience, insight and track record we were looking for, with a history of developing innovative ways to deliver services to patients, as well as quality improvement.”